Sherdog’s 2009 Misc. Awards

Round of the Year

Watching the first round of the bout between Thierry
Quenneville and Douglas
Evans at XMMA 7 “Inferno” on Feb. 27 made one think something
huge had to be on the line -- a UFC contract, a night with Jessica
Biel, a custom-made “Iron Man” power suit. Something, anything to
justify the insanity that defined the first five minutes of a
featherweight fight held in front of no more than a couple thousand
people at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

The winner’s purse and some post-fight cheers were up for grabs,
nothing more. Apparently, it was more than enough for Evans to come
out fighting like Mecha-Godzilla on performance-enhancing drugs, as
he immediate laid into Quenneville with strikes, slams and
ground-and-pound that seemed destined to force a stoppage.

In that moment, referee Yves Lavigne did what so many struggle to
do; he stepped back and let the fighters figure it out.

Evans tried his best to compel Lavigne to intervene, as he
alternated between pounding Quenneville’s face and trying to cut
off his oxygen supply with chokes. Impressive as the Alaskan’s
offensive onslaught seemed, Quenneville was putting on a master
class in intelligent defense, as he somehow managed to keep his
wits about him and his brain cells relatively intact. Yet for every
brilliant escape the Canadian grappling guru managed, Evans was
there to deliver more punishment.

However, after nearly three full minutes of unquestioned dominance,
Evans suddenly found himself in trouble, as Quenneville jumped into
a standing kimura and dragged him to the mat. With his left arm on
the verge of being turned inside out, Evans rolled forward and
sprang free but not before realizing Quenneville would not go off
into that good night without leaving every last bit of himself in
the cage.

The sequence was a turning point in the fight, as Quenneville,
rejuvenated by his near submission, promptly reversed an attempted
takedown by Evans and secured top control for the first time in the
fight. Unfortunately, there was barely more than a minute left in
the round and Evans seemed no more willing to call it a night than
Quenneville. Normally, the average fighter takes the opportunity to
recover, but Quenneville spent what little time he had left trying
to give Evans a taste of his own bitter medicine.

The mere sight of the proud Firas Zahabi protégé pouring his heart
into every punch was enough to send an already adrenaline-drunk
crowd’s cheers into the far end of the decibel range. When the bell
rang to signal the end of an unforgettable first five minutes, the
two fighters simply rose to their feet, dusted themselves off and
walked over to their corners like they had just finished a brisk
morning jog.

A. Quintero/Sherdog.com

Quenneville vs. Evans was a
war.

Evans seemed fine, but as the second round
started, it became obvious he would pay the price for his jailhouse
blitz strategy. Still, he asked for no quarter, as he valiantly
struggled to catch his breath and keep himself from getting knocked
out by Quenneville, who was fighting as if he had been strengthened
by the stomping he survived minutes earlier. It was then that
Quenneville fired what would come to be known as the “Hellbow” -- a
flawlessly executed in-line elbow that landed flush on Evans’ chin.
While the stout Alaskan once again showed his Clint Eastwood-level
manliness by weathering the blow, Quenneville quickly pounced on
him with a brabo choke, transitioned to a triangle choke and
finished with an armbar.

Not even 90 seconds into the second round, Lavigne moved in and
called an end to the match, this after being handed dozens of
opportunities to do so earlier. To his credit, he only stepped in
after Evans raised the white flag with a tapout. The abrupt manner
in which the fight closed made for a perfect chaser to the five
minutes of incredible combat that preceded it. The first round
between Quenneville and Evans, more than any other in 2009, showed
exactly what makes mixed martial arts great.

It goes without saying that their round was not the only one to hit
all the right notes.

The first stanza of the World Extreme Cagefighting interim
lightweight title bout between Donald
Cerrone and Benson
Henderson at WEC 43 felt like something that had been spawned
by John Woo’s imagination. Cerrone caught Henderson in one
attempted submission after another, and Henderson not only found
impossible escapes but fought back every step of the way.

No one in the sport has grown as accustomed to winning as Fedor
Emelianenko, and the opening round of his main event showdown
with Brett
Rogers at Strikeforce “Evolution” gave the world a glimpse into
what has made the Russian such a mythic figure. Bleeding from the
nose within moments of the opening bell, Emelianenko went on to
absorb a brief but hair-raising ground-and-pound assault from
Rogers. He then showcased his incomparable skills, as he set the
table beautifully for a one-punch, second-round knockout.

Another first-round favorite starred heavyweight legends Antonio
Rodrigo Nogueira and Randy
Couture at UFC 102. Couture’s brutally accurate dirty boxing
gave him control of the round early, but Nogueira’s reach and power
turned the fight on its head when he dropped the ageless UFC hall
of famer on his rear. With that, the pace was set for a classic
duel between two of the greatest heavyweights to ever lace up the
gloves.